


I carry my child (she carries the future)

by Mayhem10



Category: Enola Holmes (2020), Enola Holmes Series - Nancy Springer
Genre: Gen, Gender Inequality, Introspection, Mother-Daughter Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-01
Updated: 2020-10-01
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:35:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,656
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26742244
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mayhem10/pseuds/Mayhem10
Summary: Eudoria Holmes did not start a revolution for herself and would likely never have attempted one at all if not for one, simple thing.She had a wonderful, amazing daughter who deserved the whole world, not just one part of it.
Comments: 7
Kudos: 121





	I carry my child (she carries the future)

1\. _The first thing you need to know is:_

Eudoria Holmes was not an average woman. She had not been raised in the nobility, her parents had been gentlefolk (if even that), and she had spent the majority of her childhood out in the country, running through the fields and reading books well above her age range in the small family library. The third child and only girl, she had been doted on by her parents and older brothers who, out of love for her, had only attempted the slightest corrections upon her behavior with the knowledge that if a match was never made, Eudoria would still be cared for by the combined efforts of her brothers. It was a good plan, they all agreed.

It was unfortunate then that on her fourteenth birthday, her brothers, on their way home from school to celebrate the momentous occasion, were killed when their carriage (rented and in middling condition) threw a wheel on a bridge, sending the buggy and its occupants into the river below. 

Eudoria was barely out of mourning before her parents sat her down and gently informed her that she would be leaving for finishing school within the month. Though the words were not said, it was clear to Eudoria that without heirs to the estate, remaining unwed would no longer be an option for her. Not only that, but she would need to wed sooner rather than later to avoid the even worse fate of her care being transferred into the hands of her cousin should her father pass. Her cousin, a man she had met only once but who had smelled so strongly of codfish that the encounter had remained burned into her memory, was not a cruel fellow, but was certainly not someone who would allow Eudoria to remain in comfort should it prove an inconvenience to him.

Finishing school was...

Well, it was _horrid_ . Eudoria would have preferred to use some other, less savory words to describe the place but doing so would have landed her in extra lessons. It was bad enough to be sent away from her parents and home, but the _lessons_ ? Useless! Idiotic! Entire classes dedicating to standing a certain way or walking with a certain gait and nothing about history or mathematics or anything that would actually _help_ young ladies should they ever need to rely on their own wits! The calluses that had been lovingly formed by her personal exercise in fencing and hand-to-hand combat with the gardener were scrubbed at mercilessly until her hands were soft and smooth. The hair that been left to its own devices for years was pinned tightly to her head and punishment was sure to follow should it escape its confines. 

The letters she wrote to her parents were met with sympathy, but they knew, unfortunately as did she, that without the backing of some sort of finishing school, there was no chance of her entering into society and thus no chance of securing a decent match.

Eudoria absolutely _hated_ it.

She hated and yet she did it anyway. And when she saw her parents’ relief at her acceptance of a surprise proposal from a gentleman she had briefly met while in London, she knew that she would do it all over again to make sure they would no longer worry about her future.

2\. _The second thing you need to know is:_

Eudoria (eventually) loved her husband very much. She was, in fact, quite surprised to find that the man she had initially deemed dour and rather dull would more aptly be described as shy, reticent in speech and action until further acquaintance assured him of his compatriot's character. Sherrinford was intelligent, though not quite so much as she, and while other men of Eudoria's acquaintance had felt threatened by her mind, Sherrinford seemed to find it thrilling. He was pleased to spend hours slaving away over a chessboard, only to laugh in delight when she inevitably knocked over his king.

While he often had business in London, he did not particularly enjoy being in town and would much prefer to spend his time at his estate in the country. This suited Eudoria perfectly well. Country living offered her far more freedom in her intellectual and physical pursuits and the comportment that was necessary in the world of finishing schools and the London upper class slowly faded into nothing but irritable memories. 

When Eudoria became pregnant, it was with joy that she welcomed the news of her first child, a boy that was christened Mycroft by his father. Seven years later, she would be equally happy to welcome their second child, another boy who would be called Sherlock. Both names were chosen by Sherrinford, but she didn’t mind. 

Sherrinford was a great man, but more importantly, he was a good father. He allowed both boys to be schooled at home until adolescence, not a common thing, but his confidence in her ability to educate them was appreciated. 

The boys were very different. Mycroft wanted to know everything - Sherlock wanted to _understand_ everything. Each mentality required a different sort of learning and thus a different kind of teaching. Eudoria, however, felt herself quite to the task. And as her sons grew in both size and skill, she felt vindicated in the knowledge that she alone was enough to prepare them for the world ahead.

And yet.

There were many years of happiness followed by times of internal struggle. Sometimes Eudoria wondered what her life would have been like if her brothers had not traveled home for her birthday, if rather than needing a marriage to support herself she had been able to make and keep her own money to fund whatever life she wanted to choose. Would she trade her children for such a life? No, she would not. Nor would she trade the husband that she grew to love after over two decades of continuously learning each other’s secrets and softness. 

But still, she _did_ wonder the ever-present what if.

3\. _The last thing you need to know is:_

Eudoria was not always a revolutionary. At times she was unhappy, true, but her life, overall, had turned out rather nicely. She had a husband she adored, two sons she loved (even if one of them was quickly growing into the worst ponce she had ever seen), and the freedom to conduct herself in a manner she saw fit within the confines of their estate, a place that they rarely left. 

And then came Enola.

Enola was, as she would continue to be throughout her childhood and adolescence, a surprise. Past her fortieth year, the thought of another child had been soundly dismissed from her mind and she was preparing for her soon-to-be empty nest when one day she suddenly realized that her stomach was slightly rounder than it had been a month ago. With no other obvious symptoms, it had been another few weeks before she had felt confident enough to go to Sherrinford and inform him that he would soon be a father three times over. 

After staring at her for a good minute in shock, he had laughed before lifting her into his arms and spinning her around, sending her hair flying out of its loose bun. “I hope it’s a girl just like you,” he’d whispered.

The boys - men at this point in truth - were more blase about the news, offering vague congratulations before returning to their books. Mycroft was in London most of the time for his government work, but Sherlock, fresh home from university, became surprisingly invested in her pregnancy as it progressed. Having never been around a pregnant woman before, Eudoria observed the previously unknown information was likely being stored away in her son’s unique mind to be used in his deductions at a later date. 

Enola was born on a Thursday at two o’clock in the morning after a whopping fourteen hours of labor. 

Eudoria, exhausted and pained, reached out her hands to the midwife and gave her a name that doubled as a portent. 

As she grew, Enola reminded Eudoria of herself as a child, bright and reckless, but so much more imaginative and insightful. Eudoria would laugh as her daughter dragged around the pinecone-dog, Sherrinford playfully shouting that the dog “must remain outside, this house is no place for animals.” Even Sherlock, as analytical and detached as he often was, found cause for laughter as he watched over his sister when he was home. 

And then Sherrinford died. Mycroft sent money and never returned home. Sherlock, never comfortable with heightened emotions, left. 

Finally, there were two: Eudoria and Enola.

Enola grew, beautiful and brilliant and so, so much more than Eudoria ever was, and one day, as she watched Enola’s innocent eyes flicker over the chessboard, Eudoria realized that not only _was_ Enola more, but Eudoria wanted more _for_ her. 

Her daughter should never be forced to go to finishing school, to find a husband, to live a life hiding her amazing talents and gifts due to some backwards societal expectation for women to do nothing more than raise a family and suffer in silence. Enola should not have to pray for half her mother’s fortune in finding a man who would allow her to truly be herself and love her for it. And Enola especially should not have to rely on the goodwill of her brothers, especially when said brothers hadn’t come to visit in over five years and likely would not go out of their way to understand their own sister.

Once, Eudoria had not fought for herself because she had seen no options. Still, there were no obvious options open to Enola. Eudoria watched her daughter and decided that was fine.

If there were no options available - well then, Eudoria would just have to create them herself. 

And if it took a revolution? So be it.

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> I haven't written anything in a _while_ , but I watched Enola Holmes and it made me happy and thoughtful so I wrote this little thing! Obviously there's a difference in Eudoria's actions in the books and movie, so this is definitely movie-based, but I loved exploring the idea of Eudoria as a revolutionary. So basically, I hope whoever takes the time to read this enjoys it!


End file.
